Double Guns
by DevlinV1
Summary: [FIN:2004:Hardycest] After years of hiding themselves, Matt & Jeff finally revealed to their friends and family that they were in love with each other. Disowned by their family, rejected by their friends, the Hardys discover the one way to make it right.


**Double Guns**

**By Archangel**

Silence. All that filled the room was the silence between them and the sound of rain outside. Rain that the raven haired brother stared at from his place at the table while trying to ignore the equally silent crying of the younger one lying on the bed. Matt sighed, knowing that Jeff was crying, knowing that he was sobbing. He could feel it inside of him. His own body was trembling with the force of each gut wrenching sob. He didn't have to see or hear or feel it. He felt it merely because he was Matt and Jeff was Jeff. Because they were the Hardys. Because they were brothers locked together in immeasurable sorrow.

On the bed Jeff curled tighter into the little ball he had become, shaking so much he appeared to be convulsing. He was the one who expressed what he felt. Anything inside of him was bound to come out. For a long time all that had flowed forth from him were tears. Tears for himself, for his brother, for their family and friends and careers and lives. Tears for their love. For their unforgivable, undeniable love. Forbidden love that had torn their family in two. Love that had ripped their friends away from them. And now at last it was love that was tearing them apart.

Matt rose from his chair smoothly, ever graceful in his heavy slow movements. Like that of a kabuki dancer, flowing, decadent, but weighted. That weight was dragging him down into places he had never imagined to go, had never endeavored to brave. Yet here he was, standing over a black bag that contained the keys to freedom. The keys to oblivion. He reached out with steady hands. He was sure of himself this time. For once in his life he knew without any slightest shadow of doubt that he was doing the right thing.

Jeff lifted his head as he heard the zipper being drawn back. He weakly pushed himself up, hearing Matt beckon him without saying a word. He stumbled to his feet, not so lithe and delicate as he was while he was happy. Moving across the room to stand beside his brother and lover, he watched as Matt's hands moved expertly over the objects of destruction, cleaning, checking, ensuring that everything would go correctly. There were doubts, fears, and so many questions that filled him as he contemplated what was about to become of them. But stronger than that was the trust he held in Matt. Matt knew what he was doing, what was best for them, and Jeff would follow him willingly no matter where he may roam.

Matt finished his preparations and turned to Jeff, handing him one of the guns by the barrel. Jeff took it without hesitation then looked into his chocolate eyes. Matt stared back into the jade gaze unwavering. The message passed between and was confirmed, each nodding in agreement and then making their way over to the bed. They laid down, each curling on their sides facing one another. Then Jeff reached for Matt with his free hand, brushing his fingertips over his cheek softly.

"Ah love ya."

"Ah love ya, too."

"Then let's prove it."

Matt nodded. "We'll prove it to 'em."

Matt lifted his gun to Jeff's parted lips, pushing the barrel past carefully so not to hit his teeth. Jeff did the same, placing his gun in Matt's mouth. Simultaneously they flipped the safety switches off. They stared into each other's eyes, each with tears streaming over their cheeks, each wanting nothing more than to stop and embrace the other, but both knowing this was the only way it could end.

Matt nodded just slightly and then counted, his mouth not forming actual numbers with the barrel of a gun inside, but sounding more like simple grunts.

One.

Two.

Three.

Two shots, one right after the other.

Silence.

Jay stepped up onto the small area where the caskets were displayed. He looked between them, unable to tell which was which save for the photos of his friends that were sitting on top. He gazed first at the photo of Matt and then at the photo of Jeff. He had to say goodbye to one of them first. Seeing Adam standing over Jeff's casket helped make the decision and he moved over to be by his side, taking his arm and looking at him sorrowfully.

Adam stood with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his teeth digging into his bottom lip painfully in a futile attempt to keep his tears quiet. It was of no use and his sob tore from his throat quite suddenly, as he whirled around to collapse against Jay's shoulder. Ever the loyal best friend, Jay caught him and held tightly to him, rubbing a hand over his back as he mourned.

Another pair of hands joined his. He looked into the cerulean eyes of Chris, not surprised to see those beautiful blues bloodshot and moist. He nodded slightly to Jay and leaned his head on Adam's shoulder. Useless words of comfort came softly across his lips and he tugged gently to pull him away, leading him back to one of the pews to sit with their other friends.

Jay sighed and turned back to the ebony casket, running a hand over the closed lid. He half wondered what the brothers had been buried in, if they had been clothed in suits or in their normal fishnets and sliced arm bands. He wondered for a moment what they looked like, but a shudder coursed through him as he remembered how they had died. They had been destroyed, mutilated by their method of suicide to the point where the funeral had been decided as a closed casket event. Jay leaned down and kissed the cold lacquered wood and whispered his goodbye, moving over to the opposite one to do the same.

On his way back to his seat he noticed a figure standing in the doorway of the church, leaning heavily on the door frame, looking completely lost.

Shannon.

Shannon was only wearing a tattered OMEGA t-shirt and ripped jeans, having just come in the door. He stumbled forward as if intending to pay his respects to the dead. Jay started for him quickly, seeing he was being joined by Shane. They met Shannon in the doorway and grabbed his arms, halting him.

"Let meh go. Ah have to see 'em."

"Whoa there, Shanny. N'one can see 'em. It's a closed casket funeral."

"Ah have to see. If ah don't... It'll be just like Dad. Ah'll never let go."

"Shannon, please. You can't do that."

"Yeah, ya can't. Gil would pitch a holy fit if ya tried anythin' like that with the whole family here."

The boy weakened slightly, his eyes tearing up. He yanked away from their hold and ran back out the door, flopping down on the front steps to wail out his misery. Jay and Shane followed, each sitting down beside him, Shane wrapping an arm around him.

"It's okay. They're happy now, Shanny."

"But why! Why did they hafta do it like that?" He sniffled and tried to speak properly. "How did they? How could ya pull off somethin' like that?"

"They timed it so they would pull the triggers at once," Jay found himself saying before he could stop himself.

"But they said there were two shots that night," Shane said.

"When someone gets shot in the head their brain is severely traumatized. Every nerve in the body snaps on and the body goes rigid and tight. So if one of them got shot before the other, then their fingers would've pulled the trigger when their body tensed."

Shannon looked over at him. "How d'ya know this?"

Jay shrugged. "I watch the Discovery Channel way too much."

"Yeah, ah'd say so, bud," Shane said and nodded.

"If only we'd listened to 'em," Shannon whimpered. "If only we'd just tried to accept 'em. We all just shoved 'em off without even tryin'."

"Everybody did. Even their family."

"We did wrong by 'em." Shane sighed heavily. "And we paid for it by losin' 'em forever."

"I'll never reject anyone ever again." A voice came from behind them.

The three turned to look and found Adam leaning on Chris for support, looking like he had been sick. He tried in vain to stand on his own until at last Chris helped him to sit on the steps with the others. He wiped at his eyes weakly.

"Never, ever, ever again will I reject one of my friends. No matter what they say to me. I'll never... Never again will I..."

He trailed off as he began to sob once again. Jay pulled him in tight and close, not bothering to say a word. There were no words that could comfort them. When Matt and Jeff had come to them and told them joyfully of finding true and perfect love with each other, they had all made lethal mistakes. They had reacted in disgust and rejected them. Without even the slightest thought to losing their long time friends, each of them had turned their backs on the Hardys and condemned them to their fate.

A lesson in friendship well learned in the hardest way possible.

**The End**

_Legalities: Christian Cage is copyright to TNA Wrestling. Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and any other mentioned characters are property of World Wrestling Entertainment. I claim no knowledge of each of the characters sexual preferences or lives. This is a story of fiction, none of these events are real. I received absolutely no profit from this story._


End file.
